WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Nick Van Exel scored 16 of his 26 points
in the third quarter, including nine in a 16-0 run, as the
Denver Nuggets won for only the second time in seven games,
101-93 over the Washington Wizards.

Held scoreless in the first half, Van Exel went 6-for-11 from
the field in the third quarter. His follow shot with 1:59
remaining capped the surge and gave the Nuggets a 68-60 lead.
Denver never trailed thereafter.

Van Exel added seven rebounds and eight assists, rookie James
Posey had a season-high 25 points and nine rebounds and Antonio
McDyess added 24 and 12 for the Nuggets, who were eliminated
from playoff contention on Monday.

A sprained ankle limited McDyess to 14 minutes in Sunday's win
in New Jersey.

"He's been playing on sore ankles for a week, but he's a
warrior," Denver coach Dan Issel said. "He goes out and gives
us those numbers every night whether he's hurt or not. He came
out tonight and got it taped and went right back in."

Mitch Richmond scored 22 points and Juwan Howard had 17 for
Washington, which lost for only the second time in seven games
but owns the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference at
25-47.

Van Exel was 0-of-7 from the field in the first half but
finished with eight rebounds and seven assists to spark the
comeback.

"Nick is the key for us," Issel said. "When Nick plays well, we
play well. He came out and had an unbelievable second half."

"Nick made some big shots," added McDyess. "It just seemed like
he took over the game in every aspect. He was throwing the
ball, giving people assists, making shots and driving."

Van Exel gave the credit to the Nuggets' defense.

"We made shots and then got after them defensively," he said.
"That basically turned the game around for us. We stayed with
our game plan defensively with the double-teaming of Howard and
quick rotation to get to their shooters. I wasn't really
getting better looks in the second half, I just made more shots.
They were pretty much the same shots as the first half, I just
made more."

Posey was 6-of-10 from the field and 10-of-10 at the line as he
nearly recorded a double-double.

"Posey has been a pleasant surprise," Issel said. "First of
all, we were surprised that we got him at 18 (in the 1999 NBA
Draft). We had him rated No. 9 on our draft board and we
couldn't believe he was still there at 18. And he made our
starting lineup because of his defensive play, which is unusual
for a young player.

"His offense has continued to improve and he's really getting
some confidence in shooting the basketball now. He's going to
be a terrific player."

Chris Whitney, starting his third game in place of injured point
guard Rod Strickland, finished with 14 points and eight assists
for the Wizards.

The Nuggets went on a 7-0 run midway through the first quarter
and grabbed a 12-5 lead on Posey's slam with 7:50 remaining.

The Wizards answered with the next 11 points and went ahead,
16-12, on Richmond's layup with 5:34 left in the first quarter.
Washington had a four-point lead entering the second period
after the teams combined for 11 turnovers.

"We talked about at halftime how we had given up 11 offensive
rebounds and turned the ball over for 16 points, and we were
shooting 35 percent and we were only down nine," Issel said. "We
did a better job in each of those areas in the third quarter."

While he has been able to play through pain, McDyess admitted he
could use a few days off.

"It wasn't so painful that I couldn't move," he said. "I just
sucked it up, wrapped it over and went back out there and
played."